Alumni Attorneys Provide a Different Sort of Law Schooling

Alumni2 min. read

Tracy Nale ’07 (left) helps Sebastien Philemon ’19 track changes in Maine state laws and statutes. This Jan Plan, Nale, with her brother Tom Nale ’05, placed seven students in legal internships across Maine. Philemon, a government and French studies major, aspires to a law career.

By Kardelen Koldas '15Photography by Micky Bedell

January 18, 2019

As young alums, Tom Nale ’05 and Tracy Nale ’07 are passionate about law and giving back to Colby. This Jan Plan, the siblings placed seven students in legal internships in Maine. While both Nales work with a Colby student, they also matched three interns with the District Attorney’s Office in Augusta and two students with other lawyers in Waterville, including James S. LaLiberty ’02.

“Different places, but definitely a different experience for everyone as well,” said Tracy Nale, who specializes in estate and elderly law. She is now sharing her expertise with Sebastien Philemon ’19. “Wherever I’m going, he’s going,” said Nale. They’re working in the office, attending client meetings, and going to the courthouse.

For Philemon, the entire experience has been rewarding. Since day one at Colby, he aspired to have a law career. As a government and French studies major, he was on the lookout to truly test his interest. This year’s Jan Plan, among dozens created and facilitated by DavisConnects, offered “ lots of exposure, and I’m learning so much more than I would in a typical classroom setting,” he said. He’s still figuring out whether it’s the right fit, but he feels “it’s working out pretty well.”

**Left:** Rohnique Davy ’22 (left) and Sean Boddy ’20 talk to their supervisor at the District Attorney’s office in Augusta. “Particularly in the U.S., it’s really hard to find any kind of legal internship without being an actual law student,” Boddy said. With the Nales’ help, they’re both spending Jan Plan sitting in court hearings, arraignments, and dispositional conferences. **Right:** Sage Sierra ’19 files court documents at the District Attorney’s office in Augusta.

Like Philemon, Sean Boddy ’20 and Rohnique Davy ’22 applied to intern with the Nales but were placed in the DA’s office—something they didn’t expect. “We both applied to a small law firm in Waterville figuring that we’d be doing kind of like secretarial work,” said Boddy, who found out the internship was much more than that.

Boddy always had an interest in law, especially criminal law. He was exploring ways to get his foot in the door to see if a career in law was a good match for him. “Particularly in the U.S., it’s really hard to find any kind of legal internship without being an actual law student,” he said. With the Nales’ help, he’s now sitting in court hearings, arraignments, and dispositional conferences as an undergraduate.

Government major Davy, on the other hand, is understanding the inner workings of the DA’s office. “It’s a great opportunity to hear from many different attorneys,” she said, explaining how surprised she was to see the defense attorneys and the DA working together. “People have pretenses about the DA’s office, but they really are just here to pursue justice.”